By Nick Hildebrand
Director of College Communications
GROVE CITY, Pa. – After a banner 2024, Grove City College is riding the momentum into 2025 and looking forward to major changes, campus improvements, expanding programs and the opportunity to serve and lead in new areas.
This fall, the college will usher in a new era in science and technology education when the renovated Smith Hall of Science and Technology opens.
Smith Hall, formerly known as Rockwell Hall, was the first classroom building on upper campus when it was dedicated in 1931. When it is rededicated, it will be linked to STEM Hall, the most recent addition to the campus plan. Together they will serve as the home of the Hopeman School of Science, Engineering and Mathematics and the nexus of scientific teaching, learning, research and innovation at Grove City College.
The $50 million project gutted Rockwell, which has been in near-constant use over nine decades, and will bring the Depression-era building into the 21st century with new mechanical and electrical systems, a reimagined layout for classrooms, labs, offices and collaborative spaces.
A structure connecting Smith Hall to STEM Hall provides a significant amount of additional space for the college’s fast-growing programs in engineering, pre-health, exercise science and other STEM disciplines.
The work is part of Impact 150: The Anniversary Campaign for Grove City College, a $185 million effort to increase financial aid, improve campus facilities like Smith Hall and secure the college’s financial future as it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2026.
Another change on the horizon is in the college president’s office. A search committee is working to find a successor to President Paul J. McNulty, who is retiring this summer. More than 70 qualified applicants have expressed interest in the position. The quality and quantity of the applicants is a testament to Grove City College’s status in the world of Christian higher education.
The college’s Center for Rural Ministry received a huge boost this year thanks to a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. The center is an innovative outreach to help rural and small- town pastors, their congregations and communities thrive through an array of programs, service-learning projects, internships, resources and support.
The funding will enable the center to expand its core programs in the region and beyond and extend the impact of its work by creating a hub for other colleges and universities to share and scale up programs and initiatives that it develops with pastors, CRM staff, faculty, students, and communities.
In rural communities and small towns, the local church often serves alongside schools as one of the few remaining anchor institutions. The Center for Rural Ministry’s goal is to harness the resources of a Christian college to strengthen rural churches as they carry on a vital mission.
The work also helps to connect students to local churches in a way that can help members of the rising generation develop a deep and life-long appreciation for the local church.
Two new master’s degree programs in economics and education are going online this year, joining a growing suite of graduate programs at the college. Grove City College’s Graduate Studies Programs are designed for current students and working professionals.